قاهره

CHAPTER ONE

Cairo

Monica noticed the gift shop, because of the beautiful colours round its door and window. She walked through its entrance which had a sign above it. On the sign, the word Cairo was written in bright yellow, orange and green colours, with small black figures dancing beside it.

Inside, it was just as colourful. Large animals made of paper, painted in very bright colours, hung from the ceiling. The floor had a yellow-brown sand colour to it, and the shelves held vases, plates, boxes, musical instruments and jewellery Monica had never seen before.

No one seemed to be in the shop; not a salesperson or a customer. Light Arab music came from a stereo Monica could not see, but she moved with its sound as she looked at all the wonderful objects in the shop. She saw a blue stone on a gold necklace which looked interesting. Drawn in the centre of the stone there was something which looked like a large round beetle, with thin legs and thick antennae coming from its head.

“It’s an Egyptian scarab.”

The woman’s voice surprised, then frightened Monica. She almost dropped the necklace.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know anyone was here.”

“It’s okay, my dear. I knew you would be here. Come. Come.”

The woman took Monica’s arm and led her behind the sales counter to a small area where there was a round table and two chairs. It was dark because cloth the colour of sand, with dark patterns, hung from the walls and ceilings. It was almost closed off from the rest of the shop by a curtain, so most of the light came from a few candles set around the room. It was like a small cave from somewhere far away.

“Sit. I’ve made us some tea, black tea; the tea of judgement.”

“Judgement?”

“Yes. The tea leaves tell us about a person’s entire life. Some of us have done things we wish we hadn’t. Some of us haven’t done things we wish we had. Some of us are messengers. Some of us are waiting for the message.”

The woman wore a piece of red cloth tied around her head. It hid the colour of her hair. Her eyes were large and dark. They became larger when she talked. As Monica sat at the table, she realised she still had the necklace in her hand.

“This stone is quite beautiful. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

“It is lapis lazuli, the ancient blue stone used to make statues for the gods. It was found in rock, and the rock had to be burned and broken to get the lapis lazuli out. That shows you how strong it is.”

“Well, I’m sure it’s too expensive for me.”

As Monica was about to put the necklace on the table, the woman closed her hand around Monica’s, to keep the stone there.

“Don’t let it go, now that you have it. It may help you see things you never thought were possible.”

“But. I.”

The woman put her finger on Monica’s lips so that she couldn’t talk.

“Sit and listen and I will tell you the story of the blue scarab.”

Monica held the necklace in her hand while the woman spoke. Whether it was the heat of the room, the tea, or the woman’s soft voice, Monica began to fall asleep.

“The scarab is the sacred beetle of the sun god, the most important of all the gods as it makes people see things in a different way. It is given to a different person every hundred years. The person is chosen by the sun god to act as a messenger for the dead. They see and understand things on earth that help the gods decide whether the dead have lived good or bad lives. Those who wear it are sometimes frightened because they are able to see the dead living again. But they must keep the scarab, as the judgement of so many depends on them.”

Monica heard the woman’s words as she slept. She saw herself living thousands of years ago, wearing the scarab. People were touching her hand as she passed them. She was smiling and she felt very peaceful. When she opened her eyes, she looked at the woman talking to her.

“It looks good on you.”

Monica touched the necklace with her fingers. It was now round her neck.